SHIGOTO
by Jason M. Lee
Summary: n, adj: work, occupation, employment - Just after her promotion, Elena learns the hard way what is the work of the Turks. It doesn't help when Reno's the one giving the lesson.


Disclaimers: _Final Fantasy VII_ © under Square-Enix, as well all other _Final Fantasy_ references. Everything else under their respective owners.

* * *

**Shigoto**

Jason M. Lee

* * *

The door normally designed to slide open somehow SLAMMED open to the side, nearly crushing Diugan, who had been carrying a stack of papers that needed to be dropped off at their secretary's desk. The failsafes to prevent electrocution squealed angrily, the metal panel giving a dying groan before collapsing onto the floor with a pathetic thump. Yellow sparks danced about from the exposed wires like wasps provoked from their nest.

Looking up from their computers, several of the Turks took one glance and immediately reacted instinctively.

"WHERE?"

Cracking knuckles in a fist.

"IS?"

Molars creaked, almost to pressing license plates pressure.

"THAT?"

Rowdy quickly moved out of harm's way, hunting instincts screaming "Danger, Rowdy, Danger!"

**"MORON?!"**

Some of them shook their heads while others put away their weapons after realizing they weren't in danger. Just another day of a ShinRa employee being pranked.

"Is there something the problem, Elena?" the handgun user asked politely before sending a call down to Maintenance. The Turks practically had the maintenance crew and the med bay on speed dial in their PHS and their office phones, given the multitude of hijinks.

Elena held up a photo of her asleep at the desk, a trickle of drool hanging from her mouth while someone had bunny ears behind her head. The real one was entirely red in the face, almost matching a Summon Materia as well steam pouring out of her ears.

Rodj nearly spat out the rice cracker he had been munching on, cheeks puffing up to hold in his laughter. Raheem quickly turned his large body away, shoulders shaking while snorting sounds were emitted.

"Better hope you're not the one who put it up in the cafeteria board, Rodj!" Elena snapped, knowing how the rod user was so similar to Reno in so many ways it wasn't even funny. The motorbike lover could almost pass as the redhead's twin from a distance, but once up close the differences were easily noticeable. Reno had a brighter messy red hair and kept it in a ponytail, whereas Rodj had his dark red in a more manageable rat's nest. Two scars on the Senior under bright blue-green eyes, a simple brown pair on the Junior.

Forgetting the culprit for the moment, the newly promoted Senior Turk immediately ripped the picture into shreds, fingers curling up as if wanting to strangle a certain pranking Turk's neck. "You're lucky you don't have to deal with him right now, Ethane!"

After Sector 7's drop and his fight with three of AVALANCHE, Reno had to be taken off-duty for his injuries to heal. Just when both arms had been healed, some time after Rufus' ascension to Presidency, a celebratory drinking binge resulted in a broken arm... again. As well a near concussion from a whiskey bottle in the ensuing bar brawl. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on who you ask, Rude was given watch duty over his partner. The consensus being that the Costa native was one of the few people who could put up with the redhead's quirky antics without loosing it. Short one Senior Turk, Elena was moved up from her Junior position under Tseng's recommendation, which caused no shortage of hero-worshipness from her. She was also the first to go from Junior to Senior in only a few weeks, practically a record.

Ethane raised an eyebrow at her cousin, shaking her head, although she did silently agreed with Elena. The handgun user also suffered pranks from her redhead senior, from her ammo hidden under the pillow to a water-based paint bomb from the vents. Their short statures and almost identical blonde haircuts would've caused other people to mistaken them for twins, except that Elena's bangs were brushed to the right. In fact, they were related by their mothers, being cousins themselves. "Calm yourself down before you do anything rash."

"Rash?! I'll show you rash! That idiot just did it again! Where's a Bolt Materia when you need one to shock some sense into him?! Oh, wait, that might just make him even more crazier! Like last time was when he used that whoopee cushion on Palmer during that meeting!"

"Or when he slipped a mickey into Heidegger's champagne last year's Winter Day," Diugan noted, finally having dropped his load and joining back in the Turk Lounge after hanging a screen over the doorway. "Man, I don't wanna hear him singing ever again. Rufus looked about to unload his shotgun into the fat geezer. Or sic Dark Nation on the guy."

"How 'bout when Reno switched one of Scarlett's perfume with queen bee pheromone?" Rowdy grinned, thinking back to the screaming Weapons Development head running like a headless chocobo around the Tower. "I still wonder how he got a hive full of bees in without anybody else getting stung, much less himself."

Elena slapped a hand to her face in frustration, while Zafirah gently patted her on the back in a sibling fashion. "You're not the only one, 'Lena. Us girls have to suffer it a little worst than the guys."

"What's the worst thing he could do?" the newest Senior grumbled, slumping at her desk.

Rowdy propped her head on the monitor, hands nesting her chin. "Other than the occasional grope to our butts, nicknames for us gals. Though it's not so bad once you get used to it."

"How so?"

"I'm Shotgun-girl, given my weapon choice. Spinner is Zlhna's, due to her shuriken. Zafirah's called Zafist—"

"Which I in particular don't like," the female martial artist grumbled good-naturally.

"—and Ethane used to be called Handy but he switched to Thaney after she almost unloaded two full clips into him," the hunter from Mideel continued without skipping a beat. Said handgun wielder smirked a bit, fingers flying away on her computer.

Elena only shook her head, plucking at a stray thread. "Joy. Wonder what _Senpai_ is gonna name me?" 

x x x x x x x

"Reno-s_enpai_! You shouldn't be up and about! Let me and Rude-_senpai_ do the work around here!"

A smoking cigarette dangled from the redhead's lips, cotton around his head instead of his usual goggle-shades. Broken right arm in a cast, this time NOT pink but covered in various pen, markers, and colored sharpie scribbles. More whiteness on his chest, bindings peeking from an unbuttoned shirt. A bandage was on the left cheek, just underneath the scar.

"But just sleeping is boring! And don't call me '_senpai_'!"

She crossed her arms, looking for the moment that of a superior officer. "Or would you prefer to take orders from a newly promoted Senior, much less a rookie?"

Reno sweated a little. Several of the Juniors snickered in the background. "Er, I didn't mean it that way..."

"Right, and you were planning on to play hooky, didn't you?"

"Urk!"

"Beats a regular vacation, wouldn't it?"

He jerked as if an arrow was right on target with his head.

More snickering.

Elena smirked, actually glad that she finally got a one-up on her senior, for once. Though internally, she still doubted herself. One week after her promotion and she was still laden with deskwork for the newly risen President Rufus. All that training and paper cuts were continually abound. Despite being used to be a Junior staff, Elena felt that they saw more action than she did, which she somewhat envied.

"It doesn't really matter if you're a Junior or Senior Turk," Reeve once said when she had paid him a visit in his office. Despite being now an Executive, he still hung out with the Turks so as long he didn't interfere with their work. "Paperwork is the usual test to see how far your patience goes, although there are exceptions. Reno and I were some of the few exceptions, although in my case, my softer emotions costed me my place as a Turk. Most famous case of disappearance would be Vincent Valentine; even Tseng doesn't know where he went to."

"How long were you one?"

Reeve had given a rueful smile, sadness. "Only six months, failed assignment. Practically a record for the shortest time being a Junior, as well the only one known who is still breathing of my generation. Most of the time, those who quit don't really live very long due to the secrets we're bound to find and keep."

She didn't know how to respond to that.

"Ain't that." Reno jabbed his stub into an overflowing ashtray. "I suck at desk work."

_'Suck at desk work?'_

Laughter from behind. "As expected only from Reno."

Elena immediately stiffened, fighting back her blush. The others gave salutes or brief nods if their hands were full. "Tseng-_san_! E-excuse me... My reliance is a bit limited."

Tseng gave a smile. "Just keep up that attitude."

"Ye-Yes, sir!"

"Gee, hero worship much?" Rowdy quipped when their leader went over to admonish the laid-back redhead. "Since when did you start talking Wutaiese?"

"Oh, go shove your head into a paper shredder," Elena tossed back, going back to her desk. "And it's mainly because of Tseng-_san_. Not to mention that I find it helpful, as Reno doesn't like being called '_senpai_.' Rude doesn't mind it, though."

"True..."

It wasn't just respect for the Turk Leader due to his heritage. She had a crush on the Wutaian but would never admit it out loud, despite nearly everyone knowing it. Heck, even Rufus had teased Elena when he lunched with them several times.

_'The Turks... Formerly of the ShinRa Manufacturing Department in Administrative Research, now sometimes better known as the Special Forces under the Public Safety Department. Our main jobs are basically business functions, gathering background info and getting rid of problems before they get out of hand. Said functions including the general staff, soldiers, army candidates, and recruiting potential SOLDIERs and Turks. That's what everybody knows when entering to work with ShinRa. (President's schedule, Boss' hobbies, Boss'...)_

_'What are the Turks? Come to think of it, what IS the work of the Turks? I know from what few files I have access to currently is that we deal with the unsavory stuff the MPD won't touch or what SOLDIER aren't deemed to handle. Capturing the Ancient, Aerith Gainsborough, is one of the most important but most relaxed assignments, which I find quite odd, given that we've been chasing her for some time already. Yet out of all the Juniors, I've seen the least action so why am I promoted to Senior?'_

Keystrokes slowed, then stopped. Elena Lanim had been born a businessman's daughter, nowhere near up high as ShinRa, of course, but high enough to be at least of some attention during the usual glitzy parties. Sure, she could've gotten nearly anything she wanted but since childhood, the blonde wanted to do something different. Step out of the mold she had seen of her fellow "peers", young ladies who often gossiped behind their parents' backs about things she found annoying and meaningless. She wanted to find a career that didn't always had to do with money or necessarily reputation.

That chance came in during one of the last parties she would attend as a business daughter; someone's anniversary or something, she forgot. Elena had been chatting pleasantly with her supposed fiancée (though the young man already had a steady girlfriend) on random things out on the balcony in the cool night. After they both had several glasses of champagne.

"You know, you should join up with the Turks," he blurted out of the blue.

Clear surprise, despite being a bit tipsy at the time. "Excuse me?"

A shrug, his flush deepened as if embarrass for such a suggestion other than the alcohol. "Sorry 'bout that. S'that every time I see you at these things, you never seem to be all that happy, like fish out of water. When the other girls start talking about the usual stuff, I'd find you playing with the computers in the library."

"Stalking much?"

"Nah. Just curious." He had jerked his head at the black suits standing on guard, though the red-haired one still carried the messy air on him. "I also overheard them talking 'bout needing a computer expert, as their last one suddenly croaked. You'd probably do good with 'em, instead of being stuck here. See if you can fly those digital wings of yours one of these days."

_'He had a good point back then,'_ Elena mused, coming out of blurred memories as her Turk-issued watch went off. _'I thought Mom and Dad were gonna have a heart attack when I told them but I guess what better image for your reputation when your daughter works with one of the most important positions in ShinRa? Talk about prestige and power. Heh... "Digital wings" indeed.'_

Saying the usual goodbyes to some of the leaving employees, blonde strands laid against the cool glass in the elevator, light brown looking out over Midgar. Rodj, Ethane, Diugan, and Rowdy hitched the ride down with her, still talking in low voices.

In the reflection, she could see the faint Mako glow from her eyes, a tiny fringe of green around her pupils, and shivered against the memories of large needles. Like boiling oil through your veins that wouldn't go away for a long while, even if it was necessary after compatibility tests. Breathing Mako vapor wasn't any less painful when she had accidentally inhaled poisonous gases during a training session; black, choking smoke in your lungs, worse than cigarettes. Worst, when Hojo was supervising the procedures, the constant studying and maniac gleam behind those glasses.

_'Although... I feel as if I'm in the wrong place. As if I shouldn't be here at all...'_

Elena blinked, then shook her head violently, catching odd stares from her fellow Turks.

_'No! Don't think that way! For crying out loud, why else would they pick you out of the other Juniors? Sure, you're trained with a gun but just because you know how to shoot doesn't account for everything! That's Basic Training at the Academy! You're the computer expert, you know how codes work when they don't!'_

A blush. The guys snickered, while the gals smiled knowingly.

_'As well...'_

_/Tseng smiling at her, walking away. "Just keep up that attitude."/_

_'Maybe I'll find out someday, when I get an actual assignment.'_

Fourteen hours later, Elena had just handed over a file to Zlhna when Reno called for her from the doorway.

In his ever-rumpled suit.

Surprise. "_Senpai_?"

"...work time."

"Get ready." Reno jerked his head out toward the direction of the helipad. "Let's mosey. Grab that pocket com of yours."

Her? Not the other Juniors who had more experience than she did? "Go... Reno-_senpai_?"

_'Is this...'_

"But your body, _senpai_..." He didn't even object to the suffix!

_'...work?'_

The duo were already leaving and Elena hastened to follow, making sure her gun was safely holstered and her personally designed PDA was on hand. Zlhna and Rowdy gave her weak smiles, as if knowing something she didn't and it wasn't going to be pleasant.

Once they board the chopper and were in the air, Reno rested his chin on his hands, looking at nothing.

"Where to, Rude?"

The larger man strapped himself down. "...Sector 2 department store, WITH."

Elena blinked. "I thought WITH was completely backed up by the Company..."

A laugh. "You sure study hard, 'Laney."

_'"Laney"?!'_

The motors filled in the rest of the ride, Elena mulling over her thoughts. Despite the rhythmic thunder, the uneasy silence still hung overhead.

x x x x x x x

"Yes... Yes... That's right, understood. That..." He sweated, his palms already clammy from his anxiety. "They can't know any of this so take care of it... Yes. You understand then..."

He hung up the phone with a click, heaving a quiet sigh.

"Phone call already done."

The middle-aged man suddenly whirled around and he thought he would've had an heart attack upon recognizing the black suits of terror. Especially those ever-present sunglasses with numerous earrings and that rat's nest of bright blood barely held back by goggle-shades. While Rude was intimidating by size and poker face, his partner was terrifying by those eerie aquamarine eyes, a glow further enhanced by Mako.

"Good evening, Human Resources Manager Grei," Reno continued as he sauntered in.

"That... That is..." He swallowed, trying to rid his nervousness. "Reno and Rude of the Turks, welcome. Are you fine, Reno, sir? I heard what happened."

"I'm cool. How's your business today?"

Grei waved his hand as if it was nothing. "Nothing much, really. Only a little bit slower than usual. Speaking of business... I waited here after receiving your message." Turning, the manager then noticed the blonde. "The young miss?"

Reno looked back, as if forgetting about her. "Oh yeah... Rookie Senior Elena, just got promoted last week. I'm showing her the ropes."

Elena was a bit flustered. When they had finally landed, they immediately took the back door, which was locked by an electronic lock. While they could've used their IDs to override, Elena had automatically used her PDA to break in, the tiny computer running through the codes in only seconds. After that, it was just easy as pie to disarm the security system once they were inside. Security guards were dismissed once white and red badges were flashed. It wasn't necessary for her to crack the electronic locks but she saw it as an exam in the field, as well testing out the small device she worked so hard on.

"That is... Please to mee—"

"However, this really has nothing to do with introducing you two," Reno interrupted brusquely, still smirking.

_'Senpai?'_ It felt as if the temperature in the air had dropped by several degrees.

Even the manager was taken by surprise. "Come again, sir?"

"Some inside info got leaked out... Recently, parts of Sector 2 has been opposing ShinRa." Reno kept his smirk on as he paced about like a predator. "Their moves were a bit strange, don't you think? Furthermore, said info's supposedly coming from THIS department store..."

Sweat immediately broke out onto the man's forehead as he slid open a drawer silently. "Tha-that's a mistake..."

Hair slid like blood flowing when the 2nd-in-command Turk cocked his head. "Didn't you used to do business with the previous President before the ShinRa/Wutai War?"

_'Reno... What in the Planet's name are you doing?'_ Dread crawled up her throat but she fought it back down viciously. Rule number six: Turks must never submit to their emotions when on the job, and that goes for ANY assignment.

"A-ah, that's correct. We did." Grei slowly grasped a regular 9mm out of sight. "But our company is really a substitute of ShinRa Company..."

"Which is why WE made our move. You should understand the meaning." Reno spun back around, his Shortbarrel already drawn from inside his suit. "That means, to clarify, President RUFUS... won't be needing you anymore."

Elena's neck hairs suddenly rose. It was as if Reno was **_someone else_**, no longer the jovial air he carried about him. This was the professional Turk Reno, not former Sector 4 Slum or prankster Reno. Chilly didn't fit the sensation; it was more of an electrical charge. And that hint of ozone, like after a lightning strike...

Grei struggled with his firearm but realized too late: he had forgotten to release the safety.

He was still smirking.

"Bye bye."

Elena shut her eyes and flinched in reflex upon hearing the loud crack of a gunshot being fired indoors, fighting the instinct to cover her ears. As the smell of gunpowder permeated the air, she slowly opened her eyelids and her mouth quickly went dry at the sight.

Blood splattered on the wall and smeared as the body slumped down against it, head hanging that hid the lifeless eyes. Several blotches had landed on a framed photo, the liquid dripping back down, as well several drops landing on a curtain. Carmine immediately stained the dark gray suit and blue carpet, the tinge of copper in the air and on their tongues, mixing with the burnt smell.

"...ah..." So hard to breathe.

Reno looked at her, still that predatorial gleam in his eyes and calm look. "'Ah,' what?"

_'Turks...'_ Denial.

He wasn't smirking now. "Ya still think killing ain't much of an issue?"

_'Is this...'_ Shock, overload.

That single spot of blood made him look even more frightening. "People."

_'Is this the work of the Turks?'_

_/Reno taking his cigarette out. "I suck at desk work."/_

"You 'kay, 'Laney?" Softer, not as electrifying or chilling.

"Oka—!" She whirled on him, anger on her face. _'How dare he—'_ "Of course I'm okay! Just do the work more properly!"

"You can resign right now," he tossed coolly. He knew what was going through her head, knew the emotions she was swimming against. He understood the repercussions on one's psyche but while she was exposed at a much older age, he had to deal with it as a child.

"Gh!" Elena immediately shut up, but the flush of irritation stayed. Her fists were still clenched, though. "Our work is..."

A thud as the body finally hit the floor. Rude acknowledged it by tilting his head, having been silent the entire time. "...that alright?"

Reno shrugged, holstering his gun. "Nuthin' really. Frankly, I don't give a shit." He looked back at her before giving a small sigh from his nose. "Our work doesn't necessarily have a reason..."

Gloved fist on shoulder. "Reno... Blood..."

"Oh..." Calloused fingers that had just pulled a gun tried to wipe but ended up smearing it further. "Ain't min—"

Booted feet faltered and he would've fallen had not for his childhood partner. "—ine."

A somewhat uncharacteristic gentleness behind the gruff exterior not many saw from the Costa native. "You alright? ...you shouldn't push yourself too hard."

The redhead gave a humorless chuckle. "Looks like ballet lessons are still out. Can't help it if I still do it."

"Not like one week can heal all of your injuries, even with your crazy stamina."

"Keh." Mako aquamarine shifted over to their newest member. "Sumthin' wrong, 'Laney?"

"No." Elena fought to control her breathing, one fist against her chest. Paper targets at the shooting range were one thing. Solid, BREATHING, targets... that's another. "Nothing..."

She felt as if her heart would burst, HER blood roaring through her ears in the following silence. So much louder than the gunshot.

A small smile, this time a little warmth. "Don't think I make too bad of a '_senpai_', do I, Elena?"

He never cared much for Tseng's home language yet "_senpai_" was one word he often heard from the Wutaian before the older man became Leader. Such a term was a bit odd to use outside of Wutai, especially for those that didn't quite grasp the concept of respect depending on one's rank. Reno couldn't help but be a bit touched with Elena attaching such a suffix to HIS name, despite all his pranks on the Juniors.

He didn't know if he deserved it with what he's done.

She could only look at him for a moment before going back to her turmoil thoughts.

Faint rumbling, as well twitching of lips. Looking up, Reno noticed his partner's not-so stoic face. "Hey, don't you start laughin'."

Rude merely shook his head in silent amusement.

x x x x x x x

"Junk... Nada... Bleah... Hel-loo. That's more like it. HEY!"

Zlhna snatched the remote out of Raheem's hand before switching to one of the Company's owned news channels. "None of that stuff, big guy. Way too early. Let's see what we cooked up this time."

Tu pushed up his glasses with a finger after turning his head. "The assignment they came back from last night, correct?"

Giving up his loss, Raheem leaned back into the couch. "Yup. Just this morning actually. Rude and Elena are reporting to Boss-man and the Prez as of right now."

Rowdy quickly hushed the grappler as the anchormen appeared on the TV.

_**"Good morning, everybody, and welcome to MBS 4. I'm Mark Koppel..."**_

_**"...and I'm Lari Waltiers."**_

_**"We have a report from the MPD of a homicide in Sector 2..."**_

At the top level, Rufus glanced back as his door was knocked. Dark Nation raised his head, ears flicking toward the sound while the tentacle twitched for a moment before settling back down.

"Come in," Tseng called out.

The pair of coal entered, saluting both their superiors.

"Rude, Elena, welcome back, you two. I take it that there weren't any problems?"

"None, sir. Only minor catch was Reno opening his wounds. He's at the medical facility right now," Rude replied, speaking for his partner.

A small chuckle at the mention of his fiery protégé. He could already envision the chaos the young man was going to pull on the staff. Rufus smirked himself, having grown up with the prankster since childhood.

"...is that so." The Wutaian turned toward Elena with a small smile. "Elena, how is it... your first job."

_'My first job, as a Turk.'_

Light Mako brown were still cast downwards. Then a deep breath and steel in her voice as she met her commanding officer's eyes.

"Sir."

Downstairs, the big screen TV continued blaring.

_**"...department store 'WITH' manager Edward Grei was found shot to death by a gun last night. The Sector 2 Midgar Police Department are investigating it as a possible robbery turned murder..."**_

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A/N: Revised version. First Turk-only fic. The majority of conversation and events here is almost verbatim from FFVII doujinshi "Boogie Woogie Turks", story "Work", by circle WASAB'z, artists Yuzuka Morita and Sahri Kotobuki. Their artwork is excellent and highly recommended for any FFVII fan that happens to like the Turks. Conversation may sound a little funny, as "Work" was one of my more serious attempts of translating J-E, even if it drove me bonkers. Combination of machine translation, several dictionaries, and brainstorming were the tools. Had to rework some of the sentences so it would sound a little more natural in English. Overall, I tried to keep the general feeling.

"Shigoto" means "work" in Japanese. Mark Koppel a pun on Ted Koppel from ABC Network and Mark Thompson, a FOX11 weatherman for Los Angeles. Lari Waltiers a pun on Larry King from CNN and Barbara Walters also of ABC Network.

Other than Rufus, the usual foursome, and Reeve, everybody else is from _Before Crisis_. I tried matching their names to their personalities courtesy of fan translations and the weapons they use. A lot easier to ID them that way. Tu and Zlhna are the newest Turks introduced into BC, Katana and Shuriken respectively in chapter 18. Took some liberties on their personalities but I tried to keep it as close to their BC profiles as possible without killing myself.

Much help from**Sabriel41** on several suggestions, who I find her Turk pieces quite intimidating and neat.

Tseng Kisaragi/Chan  
Reno Savai  
Rude Pasito  
Elena Lanim  
Rodj - Rod (M)  
Ethane - Gun (F) Original "Ethan" for male, Hebrew for "strong, firm"  
Rowdy - Shotgun (F) American, unisex, "loud, spirited"  
Diugan - Gun (M) Pun on his name as he uses two guns  
Zafirah - Martial Artist (F) Arabic "she who wins"  
Raheem - Martial Artist (M) Arabic, male, "compassionate"  
Tu - Katana (M) Vietnamese, male, "bright, sharp"  
Zlhna - Shuriken (F) Native American, female, "spinning"  
Reeve Tuesti (retired, Urban Development)  
Vincent Valentine (retired/deceased?)


End file.
